The transition from junior to senior elite athlete

Although crucial in the athletic career, the ‘junior-to-senior’ transition has rather been neglected by researchers. Using the Holistic Athletic Career (HAC) model, two studies explored the challenges - and their impact – faced by transiting athletes at five interacting levels of development (athletic, psychological, psychosocial, academic/vocational, financial). High performance directors (HPD) were also considered important when investigating this specific transition. In the first study, ten high performance directors and ten elite athletes, successful at making the junior-senior transition, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview based on the HAC model. Results provided not only an overview of the challenges occurring at five levels of development during this transition, but confirmed the accordance between athletes and HPDs’ perceptions of these challenges. Using a questionnaire, the second study investigated the impact of the challenges during the junior-senior transition
amongst 95 elite level athletes. Results revealed not only that challenges occurring at the five levels of development (cfr. Study 1) were rated to have a clear impact on athletes, but also that athletes perceived to need specific competences in order to cope with this impact. Both studies allow to conclude that, when making the junior-to-senior transition, athletes are confronted not only with clearly delineated changes at five levels of development but also
with the challenge to cope with these changes in order to continue their career. In view of the accordance between athletes and high performance directors (Study 1), and of the data on the impact of, and need to cope with these changes, it is imperative for athletes as well as for their athletic environment (e.g., high performance directors, coaches, sport psychologists, parents) not only to be aware of these changes and challenges but also to provide the appropriate support services before, during, as well as after transiting from junior into senior level.